Button-sewing machine.



No. 692,680. Patented Feb. 4, I902.

F. T. LEILICH.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE.

' (Application filed. July 3, 1901.) 7 (\Nu Model.) 3 Sheets-$heet I.

WITNESSES: I INVENTOR.

cams PETERS 00.. mommyo. wnsmus'ron. u. c.

No. 692,680. Patented Feb. 4, I902;

F. T. LEI LlCl-I. BUTTON SEWmG MACHINE.

(Application filed July 3, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet 2.

wry/5535s.- INVENTOR.

M zzwaz Y No. 692,680.- Patented Feb. 4, I902.

F. T. LEILICH.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE.

(Appl iation filed July 8, 1901.) (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WITNESSES. lNVL NToRk UNITED STATES PATENT I ()FFIGE.

FRANCIS T. L ILIoI- or SAN-FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. X

B'UVTT'O N- SEWING M'Ac N E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,680, dated'February 4, I Application filed July 3, 1901. Serial No. 67,062. (No model- I I v l 7' T0 at whom, it may concern.- Be it known that I, FRANCIS T. LEILICH, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francjscoand State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Sewing Machines, of-Which the following is a specification. V

My invention relates to machines for sewing fiat buttons to fabrics, and has for its object to provide a mechanism, first, which shall becompetent to sew on buttons provided with any number of holes or bars with any desired system such as the single-bar, double-bar, square-stitch, or cross-stitch; second, which shall sew on buttons witha new and improved form of stitch bywhich the threads shall be securely fastened at the ends of the stitches; third, in which all of the movements necessary to place the buttons in positions relative to the needle-bar and needle to be sewed onto the fabric are obtained by positive means from the driving shaft without the use of springs, and, fourth, having such simple and reliable means for changing the machine from sewing on buttons having a certain number of holes or bars or from a certain system of sewing to those having a difierent number of holes or system of sewing that they can be readily used by the ordinary operator. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated and shown in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine containing my improvements and is shownin the position of making,

the first stitch with the cross-stitch system. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1 with the cam-disk partly broken away to show underlying parts. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a cam-disk, showing approximative paths of the cams for sewing on, in conjunction with the sewing mechanism, buttons with two holes or a single bar. Fig. 4 is designed for four holes or a double bar. Fig. 5 is designed for four holes sewed in square form. Fig. 6 is designed for four holes with the cross-stitch. The views Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are illustrative only and represent approximative cam-paths designed, in conjunction with the sewing mechanism, to sew on buttons with sixteen stitches in each button having four holes in each coin f plete revolution of the cam-disk and to sew on buttons with eight stitches in each half-revolution of the cam-disk,'the ends'ofthe last stitches in the several systems beingsecurcd from raveling, as hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is avertical.cross-sectionthrough the center of' the cam-disk in, Fig.1, showing the worm and gear and cam-disk in position and registering device for the cam-disk. Fig. Sis a front elevation of the device for vibrating the needle-bar laterally. Fig. 9 is a plan view of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 illustrates a two-hole button sewed on with a single bar; Fig. 11, a button with four holes with a double-bar; Fig. 12, a button with four holes square-stitched, and

Fig. 13 abutton with four holes sewed on with a cross-stitch.

On the driving-shaft of the machine, to which is attached any suitable form of driving device, is secured a worm 23, Fig. 7, engaging with a gear 24, rotating upon a stud 26, secured to the machine-frame. The wormgear 24; is formed with a collar and a recess in its front face. The stud 26 is provided with a collar 27, between which and the machineframe the gear is held in its working position 1 in mesh with the worm 23. Outwardly extended from the'collar 27 is a stud 28, on which is rotatively secured a cam-disk 19. A dowel-pin 25, secured to the worm-gear24 and entering a hole in the cam-disk 19, secures an accurate register and makes it possible to remove and replace the cam'disk without disturbing the relative adjustment of the several parts.

A lever 29, Fig. 1, is atfixed to a shaft having its bearings in the machine-frame, the shaft having secured to it at its opposite end an arm carrying a stud and roller 30, Fig. 2, extending into one of the cam-paths in the disk 19, by which it is actuated. The lever 29 is provided with an undercut slot, preferably curvilinear, and in it is a movable block 31, to which, by means of a screw, is secured the end of a connection 32, Fig. 1. The other end of the connection 32 is arranged, by means of a universally-jointed device, to laterally vibrate a needle-bar carrier 33, pivoted to the machine-frame, the amount of the vibration being adjustable within limits by moving and securing the connection 32 to the lever 29 by means of the block 31 and screw. A similar lever 34: is affixed to a similar shaft having its bearings in the machine-frame, the shaft having secured to it at its opposite end an arm carryingastud and roller 35, extending into the other cam-path in the disk 19, by which'it is similarly actuated. The lever 34; is also provided with an undercut slot and a movable block 36, to which, by means of a screw, a connection 37 is secured, and by which it may be moved and secured in any desired position upon the lever 34.,

A link is shown in Fig. 1 as connecting the two blocks 31 36, by which if one of them be slidably connected to one of the levers the other may be clamped to the other of the levers, and thus the amount of movement imparted by them to the connections 32 and 37 may be varied and secured by one adjustment. This, however, forms no part of the herein-described invention. The connection 37 is pivoted to the upwardly-extended end of a lever 38, affixed to a shaft 39, having its bearings in the machine-frame. On the opposite end of the shaft 39 is secured a downwardly-extended lever 40, by means of which a connection is made with any suitable form of button-holding clamp.

As neither the stop mechanism nor the button-holding clamp forms a part of the hereinbefore-described invention, I do not deem it necessary to describe or further illustrate them than as already shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As it is desirable and customary in machines of this character to provide a mechanism to automatically stop the machine after a certain number of stitches have been made, I shall describe my invention as so provided.

In using this machine,forinstance,to sew on a button with the cross-stitch system, as illustrated in Fig. 13,the machine being in its starting position, asin Fig. 1,the cam-rollers 30 and 35 on the respective arms of the levers 29 and 34 being shown in relative positions in the paths of the cams in the disk 19, Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, the arrow in Fig. 3 showing the direction of rotation, the operator having placed abutton in the clamp starts the machine. The cam 19 rotating first brings and holds the clamp and button to a central position to permit the needle carried in the reciprocating and laterally-vibrating needle-bar to enter alternately each one of the first pair of holes in the button and in conjunction with the sewing mechanism secure it to the fabric by a predetermined number of stitches, after which the needle is brought and held by its means to a central position, in which it reciprocates only, and the clamp is caused to reciprocate and bring each hole of the other pair of holes in the button alternately under the needle'to be stitched to the fabric by a likewise predetermined number of stitches placed substantially at righ tangles to those between the first pair of eyes. Then the clamp is held stationary in its'last relative position to the needle, while the latter is reciprocated, whereby, in conjunction with the sewing mechanism, two stitches of the character known to those skilled in the art as hall'- hitch stitches are formed, making a double half-hitch orknotted stitch, which elfectually secures the end of the stitch and prevents the button from ripping olf. The cam having completed its revolution, the machine is antomatically stopped. Should it be desired to sew on a button with two holes, as in Fig. 10, the cam-disk 19 is removed and one similar to that illustrated in Fig. 3 placed in position. In this cam the path controlling the clamp movements is concentric and always holds the clamp in a central position relative to the vibratory path ef the needle-bar; but as Ithe revolution of the disk 19 would place in the one pair of eyes the same number of stitches as in two pair in a button with four holes I form the cams with two periods, so that after one-half a revolution of the cams shall have been made and the same number of stitches placed between the pair of holes, as before in a button with four holes, the machine will automatically stop. Thus likewise in sewing on buttons after the systems shown in Figs. 11 and 12 the cams in the disks 4 and 5 control the character of the stitch. Thus it will readily be understood that the relative movements and positions of the needle-bar and clamp are governed and controlled by the number and position of the dwells in the cams in the disk 19 and that by determining and correspondingly shaping the number and position of the dwells buttons with any practical number of holes can be sewed on with any number of stitches within the limits of the construction and with more than one of the stitches secured or knotted, as hereinbefore described. The ordinary singly-interlocked stitch in common use not fastened or secured can be made, if desired, by

using suitably-shaped cams.

In a previously-constructed button-sewing machine in order to prevent the buttons from ripping off I caused the needle-bar to reciprocate twice in each hole of each button, whereby, in conjunction with the sewing mechanism, all ofthe stitches were knotted; but I found in practical use that the large number of knots formed in each button-eye made the work rough underneath, particularly if the fabric was somewhat hard, and, further, that the amount of time occupied in making the extra reciprocation in each hole of each button was so great relatively that the amount of work produced at agiven rate of speed was seriously reduced. Therefore in order that the quantity of work produced should be substantially as large as in the system in common use, in which a single reciprocation of the needle in each hole of a button is employed, and that the work on the under side of the fabric should be as smooth as in the IIO ' .invented' and designed the means hereinbe fore'described, and shown in the drawings,

4 usual way of sewing on buttons,'and that the buttons when sewed on should besecurely fastened and held against ripping off Ihave the needle-bar and button-holding-clamp into operative relationship with each other in a system in which the needle-bar reciprocates in one vertical position only. The cam-paths can also be placed in separate disks and'the disks rotated by means other than shown without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a sewing-machine, the combination with a stitch-forming mechanism comprising among its elements a vertically-reciprocating needle capable of a vibratory movement, of means competent to vibrate said needle in a given path'relatively to the button-holding clamp and to automatically suspend said vibratory rnovcm en t, while the vertical reciprocation of the needle continues, a button-hold ing clamp and means competent to vibrate said button-holding'clamp in a given path and to automatically suspend said vibratory movement at one end of its path, while the vertically-reci procatin g movement of the needle continues, to permit the sewing ofv tyingstitches.

2. In a sewing-machine; the combination of a stitch-forming mechanism'comprising among its elements a vertioally-r'eciprocating andlaterallyr-vibratingneedle-bar and needle, of a button-holding clamp, two cams rotated synchronously and once only in the operation of sewing on a button, means connected to one of said cams and operated thereby to vibrate said needle-bar and needle and to automatically suspend said vibratory movement and means connectedto the other of said cams and operated thereby to vibrate said button-holding clamp and to automatically suspend said vibratory movement.

' 3. In a sewing-machine, the combination of a vertically-reciprocating and laterally-vibrating needle-bar; a horizontally-moving button-holdingclamp; a disk provided with two cant-paths rotated by means positively connected to the driving-shaft; means actuated by the said cam-paths and connected with the said needle-bar-vibrating andbut- -ton-holding-ola1np mechanisms respectively; to bring them into operative relationship with each other; and a registering device secured to the said means for driving said cam-disk; whereby the latter can be removed-from its position and replaced, without disturbingits relative position to the reciprocations of the needle-bar. p H

4. In a sewing-machine, the combination of a vert-ically-reciprocating and laterally-vibrating needle-bar; a horizontally-moving button-holding clamp; a disk rotated by means positively connected to the drivingshaft and provided with two cam-paths out in its inner face; means, including two levers provided with studs and rollers entering into the two cam-paths respectively andactu'ated thereby, and connectedfito the said needlebar-vibrating and button-holding-clamp mechanisms respectively, to bring theminto operative relationship with eachother; and a pin secured to the said positively-connected means for driving the cam-disk and entering a hole in the latter; whereby the Cami-disk may be removed from its'position andlreplaced, without disturbing its relative'position to the reciprocations'of theneedleEbar.

5. In a sewing-machine, the" combination of a vertically-reciprocating"needle-bar; a horizontally-moving button-holdingclamp; a

stud set in the frame of the machineandhavin'g-a collar formed thereon; a worm secured to the shaft of the machine, a gear'drivenby said worm and rotated upon said stud between the collar formed thereon and themachine-frame and provided at its'outer face with a register-pin; and a cam-disk confined to a path of rotation between the collar formed on said stud and a screw or nut at its'outer extremity, said cam-disk having a hole lnto which said register-pin enters and bywhich it is rotated; whereby the rotation of, thesaid gear may be communicated to the cam-disk and the latter removed from its position and replaced,wi thout disturbing its position relative to the reciprocations of the needle'rbar.

' 6. In a sewing-machine the combination of a 'vertically-reciprocating needle-bar; a horizontally-moving button-holding clamp; a cam, rotated by the driving-shaft once only during the operation of sewing on a button and provided with two cain paths; means positively connected to said cam-paths and said needle-barand button-holding clamp respectively to'bring them into operative relationship with each other, and a registering device, whereby the said cam can be removed I from its position andlreplaced in the same relative po'sition'to the reciprocations of, the

needle-bar.

7. In asewing-machine, the combination of a vertidaily-reciprocating and laterally-vibrating needle-barfa horizontally-moving button-holding clamp; a worm and gear aotuated bythe driving-shaft; a disk, having formed'iu it two cam-paths, drivenibyi said worm and gear; two levers, each provided with a'stud and, roller, to project into one each of the respective cam-paths in said disk, the levers being arranged to permit of a slidingadju'stment of related parts; a connection', adj ustably secured at one end to one of the said levers, and at the other, inovably secured to a device for vibrating the needlebar laterally; a connection, adj nstably secured at one end, to the other of said levers, and at its opposite end, movably secured to suit;- ahle means for reciprocating a bllt-t-Ollll0l(ll ng clamp across the vibratory path of the needle bar; and adjustable means for securing the said connections to the said levers.

FRANCIS T. LEILICII.

\Vitnesses:

G110. H. IIAWES, N. E. XV. SMITH. 

